San Jose State University

November 24, 2015November 24, 2015

Scot Guenter

Professor, American Studies

“Students help me and each other see the world in a new way.”

Recipient of the faculty Distinguished Service Award, Guenter believes that “good citizenship requires participation and community service in the Jeffersonian tradition.” Building community has been a priority of Guenter’s since he joined the faculty in 1989. A native of northern Appalachia, he has, he says, “always identified with hardworking people struggling to rise up.” He received a Fulbright Scholarship to Singapore and has lectured at conferences across the globe, including Buenos Aires, Berlin, the Czech Republic, Bangkok and Rotterdam. After experiencing life as an exchange student in Chile, he was determined to take every opportunity to live and work abroad. “Part of who I am is shaped by being a citizen of the planet,” he says.